Apple iPad Mini: Top 10 Facts You Need to Know

Tech nerds are bracing themselves for Apple’s next foray into expensive and pointless stuff that you HAVE TO OWN. The tech giant is planning on sending out press invitations to a launch event for a new product. Although no one knows for sure what Apple is launching, most agree that Apple’s newest gadget is the iPad mini. Bigger than an iPhone, smaller than an iPad and more confusing than the series finale of Lost. The iPad mini is sure to stir the tech pot and test just how much Apple diehards are willing to follow Woz’s angels in the post-Jobs tech environment.

Is the iPad mini too far tablet technology or has Apple struck mini-gold? Here is what you need to know:

1. It Will Have a 7.9 Inch Screen
This is just speculation but The Guardian reports that the Mini would be around 7.9 inches. This is a sizable difference from the iPad’s 9.7 inch screen and the iPhone 5’s 4 inch display.

2. It Will Compete With Amazon and Google
The iPad already has strong competition in the mini-tablet market. The iPad mini will have to compete with the Google Nexus 7 and Amazon’s Kindle Fire.’

3. It Is Still Kind of Big for the Mini Tablet Market
Although it is smaller than the iPad, the iPad mini will still fall out almost a full inch bigger than most other mini tablets. Both the Kindle Fire and Google Nexus 7 have 7 inch displays.

4. It Will Not Be Cheap
The iPad mini will release with a base price of $329 with more deluxe versions costing more.

5. Release Date in Late October to Early November
On October 10th, Apple will be sending out invitations to a launch event. The actual launch event was on October 17th. Apple announced the release of the iPad mini to be on November 2nd. A November launch is a smart move for Apple as they will probably cash in during the pre-Christmas shopping boom.

6. iPad Minis are Already In ProductionReports have already surfaced that iPad mini production has started in China. One interesting story behind the mini’s production is that Foxconn, a company who historically held a monopoly on iPad production, has lost between 50% and 60% of the rights in iPad mini production to another Chinese manufacturer, Pegatron.

7. It Will Have Varying degrees of Connectivity
The mini will be WiFi enabled on the cheaper models and have the ability to get LTE connection on the more deluxe models.

8. It Will Have Some Pretty Nifty Hardware
The iPad mini has a 1024×768 resolution screen, front and rear facing cameras, lightning port connector and an A5 processor.

9. iPad Mini Could Be a Huge Seller
Let’s assume for a second that customers don’t see through the fact that the mini is a money-suck of HISTORICAL proportions, the iPad mini could sell big. With the mini releasing right before Christmas and Apple’s cult following, the iPad mini has the potential to be a cash cow for Apple.

10. It Is Being Announced 12 Days After The One Year Anniversary Of Steve Jobs’ Death
Since Jobs’ death there has been much talk on whether Apple can survive in a post-Jobs reality. Thus far the company has done very well and has even seen Apple stock increase 80% since Jobs’ death. The company has also seen a very positive response from the iPhone 4s, iPhone 5 and the new Macbook. One issue with all these releases is that these are all just updated versions of old products from the Jobs years. Apple is a technology innovator yet hasn’t really introduced any new, ground breaking product since the iPad 1. Are the days of Apple’s dominance in the “new thing” market over?